Football Player

The news Tuesday that college athletes are seeking representation by a labor union brought a knowing smile to academics who operate far from the field house. The move by Northwestern football players to join the United Steelworkers union is unprecedented by college athletes, but old news among University of California system graduate student instructors. "We've been there, done that, and it works," UC Berkeley professor Harley Shaiken said. Shaiken teaches an undergraduate labor relations course called "The Southern Border," a class that contains 400 students and eight graduate student instructors.

The NFL mock drafts have begun to come out, and it's looking good for former players from Gardena Serra and Loyola. Linebacker Anthony Barr, from Loyola and UCLA, is tabbed as the No. 3 pick in a mock draft from NFL.com . Two players from Serra, receivers Marqise Lee and Paul Richardson, are picked at No. 16 and No. 23. Lee played at USC and Richardson at Colorado. Eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Super Bowl XLVIII is getting close, and lots of Southern California products are still alive for this weekend's conference championship games, causing excitement at their old high schools. At Birmingham High, football Coach Jim Rose has been following Malik Jackson of the Denver Broncos . Jackson, who was a standout defensive linemen with his twin brother, Marquis, had a sack on Sunday against the Chargers. "He's still Malik to me," Rose said of Jackson, who played on the Patriots' 13-1 team in 2007.

Paris Hundley is protective, very protective, when it comes to her brother, UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley. "I know he looks like a big and bad football player, but my brother, he's like a cute baby," says Paris, who at 21 is a year older. When they were kids, Paris handled life's hardships with a don't-tread-on-him motto. For example, she recalls finding young Brett angry and near tears at a skating rink. "His fists were in a ball and he was upset," Hundley said. "A girl had hit him. Brett could never hit a girl.

Aaron Rodgers is scheduled to start at quarterback for Green Bay in a winner-take-all game at Chicago on Sunday. Rodgers missed the Packers' last seven games after suffering a fractured collarbone in a Nov. 4 loss to the Bears. The winner of Green Bay-Chicago will be the NFC North champion, while the loser is eliminated from postseason contention. Packers Coach Mike McCarthy announced the Rodgers decision during his regular Thursday news conference. "Aaron Rodgers is our starting quarterback," he said.

Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston was named the Associated Press national college football player of the year on Monday. Winston received 49 out of 56 votes cast by AP Top 25 college football poll voters. Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch finished second with three votes. Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron got two votes. Boston College running back Andre Williams and Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard each received one vote. Winston is the first Florida State player to win the award, which has been handed out since 1998, and the first from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

NEW YORK -- From the first snap, the season has belonged to Jameis Winston. Now the 2013 Heisman Trophy does as well. Winston, Florida State's redshirt freshman quarterback, has proven to be college football's most consistent and dynamic signal caller this season. From his efficient debut against Pittsburgh to his elite performance on the road against Clemson, Winston never crumbled under pressure. Thanks to his poise, leadership and superior skills, Winston became the third Seminoles player and second redshirt freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.

Authorities can test a driver's blood to see if the person's mind is too impaired by alcohol to hit the road. But sports officials lack a similar test to check when a football player is too concussed to be on the field. Arizona State players, in action Saturday night against Stanford in the Pac-12 championship, have been season-long guinea pigs in an effort to develop a test. The blood, saliva and urine of 36 players has been regularly collected since the preseason. All of the players, most of whom are starters, volunteered.

An early sign that something big was happening within the USC football program came Monday morning when interim football Coach Ed Orgeron informed Southern Section spokesman Thom Simmons in an 8:17 a.m. email that he would have to cancel his scheduled speaking engagement at the Southern Section championship luncheon because of "mitigating circumstances. " Later, Simmons announced to the audience of players and coaches that Washington Coach Steve Sarkisian had been hired as USC's new coach . Players were already getting text messages en masse.

The former UCLA football player glistened with tough, his blade prosthetic a shiny blur as he sprinted into the Rose Bowl. This popular offensive lineman who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident 16 months ago brought the blue-clad crowd to its feet Saturday night as he led UCLA out of the locker room for the second half against Arizona State, thousands cheering the epitome of a gutty little Bruin. If only they had seen what happened next. If only they had seen their powerful Bruins symbol jog off into the deep embrace of the popular volleyball player who has been quietly carrying him through this nightmare.